KARACHI: Hearing in conspiracy case put off till Nov 5
By A Reporter
KARACHI, Oct 25: An anti-terrorism court on Thursday adjourned till Nov 5 the hearing in a case pertaining to a conspiracy to assassinate President Pervez Musharraf in the limits of Airport police station on April 26, 2002.
The prosecution in the case had already closed its side on Oct 8 as according to Special Public Prosecutors Mohammad Mazhar Qayyum and Niamat Ali Randhawa, the statements of seven prosecution witnesses were enough.
Judge Ghulam Ali Samtio of ATC-1, who is conducting the trial in the central prison, on the request of the defence counsel has extended the date for recording the statement of the accused till the next hearing.
Advocate Abdul Waheed Katpar pleaded that prior to the recording of the statement of the accused, copies of the documents submitted by the defence counsel in the previous trial in 2002 under the Section 342 of the CrPC should be provided to the accused in the case.
The court directed the prosecution to provide the defence counsel with the copies of the required documents.
Earlier, a prosecution witness Inspector Mohammad Tariq identifying the accused, Waseem Akhtar, said that he was a member of the police party that had arrested the accused.
The court had indicted Mohammad Imran, Mohammad Hanif alias Ayub, Mohammad Ashraf, Waseem Akhtar, Mohammad Jamil and Arsalan alias Sharib when the accused had pleaded not guilty on July 14.
On July 24, the court had recorded statements of three witnesses Inspector Mohammad Hussain Khaskheli, Mohammad Yahya and Mohammad Yaseen.
The court, on Aug 20, recorded the statement of a former judicial magistrate, Malir, Qazi Farid Ahmed, as a prosecution witness, who is currently serving as senior civil judge, south, Karachi.
In his statement, Qazi Farid Ahmed said that the accused had been produced in his court on July 17, 2002, and had confessed of having committed the crime.
All the accused reportedly belong to the banned Harkatul Mujahideen Al-Aalmi. Co-accused Mohammad Jamil, Aamir, Naveedul Hasan and Habib Kamran are still at large.
According to the prosecution, Waseem Akhtar, a Rangers inspector, had been tasked with providing information about General Musharraf’s arrival in the city. Kamran, who had allegedly positioned himself at a petrol station near Star Gate on Sharea Faisal, tried to blow an explosives-laden vehicle using a remote control but failed. The accused had allegedly rented out a shop in a fake name and Aamir used to sit in it.
According to the charge-sheet, Sharib had planted explosives in the vehicle and Naveed and Jamil had assembled the explosive device and its remote control. The Rangers’ official had allegedly leaked out the information regarding the arrival of the president and Mohammad Hanif, Imran, Jamil, Naveed, Aamir and Sharib had positioned themselves near the Awami Markaz to ascertain if the president’s motorcade had been blown up.
